The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1887-12-23
CONVENTION COMMENTS.

CONVENTION CONTENTS.
r;s not my purpose to ridicule or
.,;.represent the recent one-state gath
ll.s .aa at Aberdeen, for honestly be-
el'us . that the unvarnished truth is
lls,s Wv all it can stand. 1t was in no
ssn,e sur the spontaneous assembling Of
wv ssa neople irrespective OF party, that
.,s .ns projectors had claimed for it. The
ns,r w nature of the processes BY which
,s,scates ,sls we're chosen precluded this,
ass' aad the proportion Of attendance to
annortonment a completely refuted it.
'ff ~
The figures of disinterested lockers
~ showed that at the outside there
~,re 200 delegates present in person,
Nth nth proxies, verbal, telegraphic and
otberwise, bringing the representation
w M to goo odd votes. out Of an ap-
portionment of s36.
~
Rut the number of delegates is not
ca significant in showing the "truly
nouular' nature OF the gathering, as its
personnel. 1t was not above nor very
far below the average Of, Dakota assem-.
blaces, | have. attended three terri
,orjal conventions since 1882, have
hung around the edges of three terri
torial Legislatures, and have been pres
eut at two gatherings at Huron in the
interest of division, and in sizing up
this Aberdeen crowd 1 can not agree
with Coy. Pennington that it was the
finest body of men ever assem-
bled in Dakota, nor can fully
endorse the assertion of the
outspoken Col. Plummer, who desig-
mated it as being made up of the rag
tsg and bob-tail of Dakota politics.
and added emphatically; "for Gods
sake, roast 'emW
~
The assertion, however, made so fre-
quently before the convention met,
and in the eloquent speeches during
its progress that the people and not the
politicians were at the head and front
Of this movement, is hardly borne out
by an analysis of the status of the dele
gates in their relation to territorial
politics. Read carefully the pro-
ceedings of the convention. note
the names of the men who
we're its moving spirits, and judge
for yourself whether "Ordway" John.
son, ex-Gov. Pennington, Major Ed
wards, Curt Winsor. George Rice,
Greene and Dodge, of Fargo, M. H
Jewell, DR.. Burdick, VIM. Van Fps
Col. East, Col. Gale, Turney Wilkins
editor Goddard, N. q. Nash, w. H.
Becker, A. d. Flemington, Abe Boyp.
ton, are the babes in politics that you
would naturally expect to find in rep.
resentation fresh from the people"
~
1t is not that I question the right Of
these men to meet and organize and
resolve and adjourn-but every Da
kotan has a right to insist that they dc
it under their proper colors. Not that
this Misrepresentation will deceive
any one here at home. but it is in
tended to accomplish that purpose be
fore congress. In this connection, the
partisan coloring of the delegates cut'
no small figure, there being larg'
of democrats from
south Dakota, about an equal division
between the two parties from centra
Dakota, and from the north fair ma
]ority of democrats. And anothe
notable feature was that the dem ocrat
present were almost without exception
what are known as of the Churcl
democracy. Wright, of Sioux Falls
and Barrett, of Aberdeen, were not il
perfect accord with their fellow par
tisans, and as q result the former wa
sat down upon with such painful EN-
phasis that the latter cautiously
avoided the same fate by quietly swal
lowing the whole business, "Ordway
Johnson included.
***
The managers of the convention
however, showed eommendable shrewd
ness in their distribution of favors
Temporary chairman Preston of thi
city, who is conceded to have made tn
best speech of the convention. an
who made his influence felt in shaping
the memorial in the simplest form t
avoid unnecessarily antagonizing th
divisionists, was a proof of this; Gee
Rice, as permanent chairman. was rec
ognized as republican to weaken tn
democratic flavor; while ex-Gov. Per
nington, a recent convert, was mad
the object of studied attention, an
showered with well calculated honors
~
The general tenor of all the speeche
made was that thus far nothing hs
been accomplished toward the admi
sion of Dakota, but that this new go
pei of popular expression with "Ort
way Johnson as it chief apostle, is
bring the salvation of statehood to Y
all-and force us to accept it. woul
ask in all sincerity:
Who has advocated the claims
Dakota before congress all these yea
until this body acknowledges her rigl
to recognition?
Who has gathered the statistics
prove that either half OF Dakota ri